Child Family Health International

My first trip abroad!

Submitted by Akiba - University of Maryland | February 22, 2017

My very first trip abroad was certainly one for the books and I thank CFHI for that! During the four weeks I was away, I was able to travel to three different countries within East Africa; Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. After vacation in Kenya, I completed the 2 week intensive global health education program with Child Family Health International. The program was called "Maternal & Child Health, HIV and Realities of Health Access", and took place in a rural town called Kabale, located within South Western Uganda. The experience was phenomenal; from the people I met, the breathtaking scenery, the delicious food I tasted, the sights I saw, and the information I obtained. One of my favorite parts of the trip was being able to visit different clinical settings, shadowing the clinical staff, and learning how our American health systems compare and contrast with health systems in these countries. I am from Washington D.C., where the rate of people living with HIV is still very high, so it was eye-opening to witness HIV diagnosis, counseling and treatment in another country. I also enjoyed visiting the beneficiaries of a public health project which was being implemented to decrease rates of malnutrition. My own personal public health interests include chronic and infectious diseases, maternal/ child health, social justice issues, and eliminating health disparities among under-served populations; all areas of which this trip covered. I am forever grateful for the opportunity to experience a world so different from mine, and will move forward in pursuing my career in public health with a new interest in global health as well!

Program: Exploring HIV & Maternal/Child Health in Kabale, Uganda

Combining my passion in healthcare and travel

Submitted by HY429 - Robert Wood Johnson Medical School | August 02, 2016

I participated in the Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine program in La Paz, Bolivia for four weeks and loved it! I liked that I was able to see healthcare in La Paz in different settings: I had two weeks of rotations at two different local community clinics and two weeks at the city's largest children's hospital (one week in surgery and one week in the pulmonary unit). The physicians I worked with were patient, kind, and very willing to work with me. I saw patients with cases that I would never see in the United States such as echinococcus granulosus.

Not only was the clinical experience great, but the cultural experience was even better. My group and I were able to visit a new tourist site every weekend and our language facility made it so easy to plan the weekends. I also loved my homestay mother. The homestay experience was key in helping me practice and improve my conversational Spanish.

I would definitely recommend this program to anyone looking to combine their interests in healthcare and experiencing new cultures!

Program: Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine in La Paz, Bolivia

Better experience than I could've imagined

Submitted by Studentnurse - SJSU | February 29, 2016

I attended CFHI's two week intensive Tropical Medicine and Community Health program in Puerto Escondido.

CFHI programs appealed to me because they are not for profit and based in partnership and exchange. Their motto, “Let the world change you,” is real and something that all of us in dominant cultures should do more. Being in Puerto with CFHI was a transformative experience. It was helped me to expand my view of community and global health, and see the ways in which our actions in the United States and modern medicine affect the rest of the world.

I was welcomed into the clinical settings and appreciated the ethical approach of CFHI surrounding international experiences in healthcare. Volunteering to "fix" problems in other countries from an ethnocentric position doesn't usually create sustainable change - and often is damaging to communities. I really appreciated how the medical director in Puerto was a public health doctor in the community. Our (excellent) language classes and homestay were through another local business - and very professional. My whole experience in Puerto felt like real service learning, and was built upon long-term sustainable relationships.

My time in Oaxaca was illuminating in that I could see how all different kinds of medicine can coexist. And I also found people that I could relate to, especially in terms of the paradigm shift we want to create. It’s not always easy to merge the old with the new. We need evidence-based practices in healthcare, but we also need the wisdom and knowledge of our ancestors – and we are losing this with each passing generation. We need to reconnect the mind and spirit to the body when we’re working with patients and we desperately need all forms of healing on all levels – from individual to community to global.

Program: Intensive: Two-Week Tropical Medicine and Community Health

Better experience than I could've imagined!

Submitted by Studentnurse - San Jose State University | February 29, 2016

CFHI programs appealed to me because they are not for profit and based in partnership and exchange. Their motto, “Let the world change you,” is real and something that all of us in dominant cultures should do more. Being in Puerto with CFHI was a transformative experience. It was helped me to expand my view of community and global health, and see the ways in which our actions in the United States and modern medicine affect the rest of the world.

I was welcomed into the clinical settings and appreciated the ethical approach of CFHI surrounding international experiences in healthcare. Volunteering to "fix" problems in other countries from an ethnocentric position doesn't usually create sustainable change - and often is damaging to communities. I really appreciated how the medical director in Puerto was a public health doctor in the community. Our (excellent) language classes and homestay were through another local business - very professional. My whole experience in Puerto felt like real service learning, and was built upon long-term sustainable relationships between all parties.

My time in Oaxaca was illuminating in that I could see how all different kinds of medicine can coexist. And I also found people that I could relate to, especially in terms of the paradigm shift we want to create. It’s not always easy to merge the old with the new. We need evidence-based practices in healthcare, but we also need the wisdom and knowledge of our ancestors – and we are losing this with each passing generation. We need to reconnect the mind and spirit to the body when we’re working with patients and we desperately need all forms of healing on all levels – from individual to community to global.

Program: Intensive: 2- week Public Health & Community Medicine

January 2016

Submitted by Camille - University of South Florida MCOM | February 25, 2016

I went to Oaxaca, Mexico with CFHI for a month. This was my first time practicing medicine abroad and I appreciate how careful they were about making sure that I only did what I was qualified to do unlike other programs which sometimes let premeds do things way above their level. They were always available which made me feel safe at any point I was in Mexico. My home stay, clinics and hospitals I visited, and Spanish school were all set up and ready to go upon my arrival. I rotated through peds, surgery, internal med, L&D, ED... My medical director was extremely receptive of what I wanted out of my experience.

I got way more out of this experience than I could have possibly imagined. I previously shied away from short missions trips because I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to fully immerse myself in the culture and really get something out of it while giving back. This trip with CFHI was perfect because my role often fell at the same level as it would be in the US which made it easier to feel immersed into the environment. The only down side is that it was quite expensive, but CFHI did help cover half my funds with a scholarship which was easy to apply for.

A month was also the perfect amount of time to get to know plenty of people, learn medical knowledge in Spanish, and get to know the area well enough that I would feel comfortable visiting another time (which I can't wait to do). I absolutely recommend it to any other med (or nursing) students!

Program: Realities of Health Access and Inequities in Oaxaca, Mexico